Running Head: A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Intercultural Communication Differences COMM 2312.02 Jacob Torres

A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYER Culture, defined as a shared set of attitudes, beliefs, values and lifestyle, varies in a wide array. It is passed from generation to generation through communication, primarily language, and is independent of genetics. That being said, culture is not directly related to ethnic identity or national citizenship, although often times those who live though similar upbringings and are near each other, may share similar cultures. Conversely, individuals that experience different language, history, geography and values may appear to share no culture at all. This however, is an overstatement, as cultural values exist on a continuum, and thus are either shared or not shared by movable degrees. To further investigate this point, I will illustrate the major similarities and differences of American and Chinese cultures as seen in the movie A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. The movie chronicles a retired widower from Beijing, Mr. Shi, on a visit to Spokane, Washington. Mr. Shis daughter, Yilan, works as a librarian at Gonzaga University. Yilan is

recently divorced, and is hiding an affair with a married Russian man from her father. Her father finds out about it, and chastises her. However, Yilan releases her pent up rage over an affair her father presumably had with a colleague when she was still a child living in China. Her father dispels the rumors claiming it to be a conspiracy against him by the government. Over the course of the movie, while this is going on, Mr. Shi cultivates a friendship with an Iranian refugee who meets and has broken conversation with in a park. She is eventually put in to a retirement home, leaving Mr. Shi with no close friends. Eventually Mr. Shi stops fighting with his daughter and their relationship is closer than ever. Mr. Shi takes a train in to the Midwest; an ideal vacation for someone who wants to see the real United States. Over the course of the film, Mr. Shi engages in events that are culturally new to him. A meta-analysis, by Oyserman, Kemmelmeier, and Coon, identified China as a country that ranks very high in family closeness,

A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYER which could stem from its collectivist nature, as well as high rank in power distance and high context communication. (2002) These culturally new experiences can be identified using Hofstedes dimensions of culture. Before identifying specific instances of these cultural differences, operationalization is necessary. As I stated earlier, all of these cultural dimensions exist on a continuum and thus have extreme and less extreme degrees. For example, when comparing individualistic and collectivistic cultures one can examine the degree by which an individuals goals versus the groups goals are given precedence. . This collectivist mindset is especially apparent in the climax scene of the movie, when Mr. Shi is discussing the propaganda the Chinese government wanted him to engage in. When he describes the process of making the first rocket for the motherland, he follows the statement with we [him and his lab assistant Suchen] were so proud. His pride is not connected to simply making the rocket, but to make a rocket for his

country, his community that is what gives him honor. This example illustrates the disparities of Chinas culture and Americas culture, which is generally seen as highly individualistic. Collectivist cultures will stress responsibility for an entire group, while individualist cultures emphasize the responsibility of the self and perhaps immediate family member, while Power distance is the degree to which power is concentrated, or conversely, spread out. A country with high power distance will not spread power out evenly, and the power will be held in the hands of a few. On the other hand, countries with low power distance will disseminate the power over many facets, promoting equality. Furthermore, with low power distance cultures there is very little formality involved with confrontation. One is expected to confront a friend, partner, etc. assertively. An example of power distance can be seen, again in the final scenes of the movie when Shi is explaining the truth of the gossip to his daughter. Directly following his

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declaration of pride in being the first to build a rocket and how his relationship with Suchen was merely platonic and involved only talking, he explains that people began to gossip. The gossip eventually made it to the government, who saw this as an opportunity for communist propaganda. He states that the leaders wanted me to say I loved her, however he did not comply. Noncompliance does not go over well with totalitarian governments, and thus the leaders demoted him. This display how formal high power distance engages with confrontation. Rather than being able to make an argument pleading for fairness a high power distance, and in this case totalitarian, does not have to grant equality or compromise. A study on by Basabe and Ross, looking at social behavior as it correlates to power distance has shown that mescaline cultures are more likely to be low in power distance. (2005) Masculine cultures stress ambition, assertiveness, and competitiveness that mesh well with the low power distance cultures. Both continuums stress ease of assertive communication and are logically necessary when dealing with a more hierarchical competitive society. Feminine culture, on the other hand, promotes emphasis towards close interpersonal relationships, compromise, and negotiation. (Mortenson & Burleson, 2009). An example of feminine culture, also known as nurturance or egalitarian communication, is illustrated in the discussion of the Book of Mormon scene that Mr. Shi engages in. Rather than assert his spiritual beliefs and denounce the Mormons as frauds, he invites them into his home and engages in an open discussion. The egalitarian culture stresses modesty and win-win scenarios in communication, limiting conflict and avoiding competitive debate. Understanding these differences in communication styles is necessary to reduce ethnocentrism and to have a deeper understanding of interpersonal communication. That being

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said, different cultures are something everyone ought to be aware of as it shows an understanding and respect for that culture in question.

A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYER CITATION

Basabe, N. , Ros, M. (2005). Cultural dimensions and social behavior correlates: IndividualismCollectivism and Power Distance. Revue Internationale De Psychologie Sociale. Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, 18(1), 189-225. Cowan, r., Joo-Ick, Y., (Producer)& Wang W. (Director). (2007). A Thousand Years of Good Prayers [Motion Picture]. United States: Boram Entertainment. Mortenson, S., Burleson, B. & Lie, M. (2009). Unpacking Cultural Differences in Communication Styles: A Comparison of the Cultural- Selves and Universal Needs Perspectives. Conference Papers International Communication Association, 1-46 Oyserman, D., Kemmelmeier, M., & Coon, H. M. (2002). Cultural psychology, a new look: Reply to Bond (2002), Fiske (2002), Kitayama (2002), and Miller (2002). Psychological Bulletin, 128(1), 110-117. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.128.1.110